Hope
by Sason
Summary: This is post Aliyah! Spoilers for Season 6! What I think should happen at the beginning of season 7. Amid the chaos and calamity, Ziva is alive but for how long. First Tiva fic! I thought it was time I did one lol
1. Chapter 1

**SPOILERS FOR END OF SEASON 6!!!**

_**Hi Guys, this is a quick piece that i have put together. Most of it is written and I will post a section a day. This has been written at the same time as IJ. More IJ will be coming soon I promise. I keep getting more and more ideas and they are very full and intense chapters but I thought I would post this because I had this image fall into my mind and I felt i needed to share**_

_**Disclaimer: I wish I were attached to Bellisarius Productions because this would be the first episode of Season 7

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**Hope**

The air was thick with the smell of fire and gun powder. The heat from the flames was as bare as her skin that lay witness to its fiery fury. The whoosh that had accompanied them was licking at her nearly motionless body, sprawled across thick facets of mud and dry tufts of grass of the plains of Africa. She could not recall how long she had been here. All she could recall was the face she longed to see but he was gone, lost to a war from a recent past. Lost to…

She pondered on the fact that her last thought would be of him. If only he could see her now, so beaten, bruised and broken. She knew that if he were to see her this way, in this weakened state, that he would have left her behind. Weakness in any form was left behind. Nothing was sacred and that meant her life as well.

Amidst all the noise and the commotion she was disappearing into she heard muffled voices. The orders were being barked and the translation was lost on injured ears. All those whacks to the head obviously meant that she was no longer viable as a weapon. She was merely garbage to be left for the dogs. She could not move and could not scream for help. Her lungs ached along with the heart that was eternally scarred. All she could do was cry. She accepted that in her final moments alive on this planet, she was allowed to cry. Pains that had been etched into her soul now yelled for release as the realization that the end drew nigh. She tried to open her eyes, but only one was able to function. Through the blurriness of her tears, she could make out the compound she had been held captive in being eaten by flames and swallowed by destruction. She could hear faint screaming, a noise that she seemed happy in hearing. Maybe she knew whose scream it was. Could it possibly be her attackers? That thought brought an even broader smile to her face. She stopped smiling at the realization there was hope. She could be at peace with this. She could now slip into that eternal slumber that beckoned her inward.

Her sleep was interrupted, though. The muffled voices came nearer. They were closing in on her location and before she knew it, her body was being shaken by another hand, another person.

The panic stricken voice was not lost on her ears but she felt comfortable, relief almost to hear those deep chords. She tried opening her eyes again but failed in her attempt to see who was at her side. Her hope was rising but so was her exhaustion. She could not fathom the thought of facing them and now it would probably happen. She didn't want to see them. They had left with the plane that took off in Tel Aviv. They were dead to her, all of them. They were the casualties of war, the war that was her life.

She felt herself being moved, her arm failing to reach the face that she longed to see but couldn't bring herself to bare. She knew it would hurt too much and her vulnerability did not need a witness.

Obviously her rescuer had other ideas as they whispered into her ear.

"Ziva! Ziva, can you hear me? It's ok. We're here now."

With that voice she calmed down and her torso lay still with the last breath she exhaled into the night.

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_**I know it is short but there is more to come I promise.**_


	2. Hope Part 2

**_I know they are only short chapters but I have written them as one complete story in seperate sections and I feel it is a better experience as a reader to have those times when you have to wait between chapters. I think it adds to the intrigue._**

_**Alas on with the story...  
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They had been in Africa for nearly three weeks, following the clues that led them to this remote location in the middle of the Continent. The heat was exhausting and even during the cooler months, as it was now, the stale, stagnant air made it difficult to breathe. Water was a necessity as was light clothing and no excess baggage. They had followed the Intel, listened to the chatter and had found out that Ziva had been missing the moment they had left her behind with "Daddy David."

Tony was still angry with the ways things had been left with Ziva. The last image he had with her was when she pressed her weapon against his body, anger being forced into the pressure of the gun barrel. He had hurt her in a way he had never intended, never dreamed of. She had been his rock through the whole Jenny debacle, but with Michael…

Tony's lips formed into an involuntary growl at the thought of the man that had caused him to lose everything. He had lost his hope in ever seeing Ziva again, realizing with much self hatred that it was his entire fault. He was the reason she had stayed in Israel. Not because of Gibbs or McGee – it was all his doing. Maybe she had a premonition when she hadn't invited him to dinner that night before they became locked in the shopping container. Maybe her women's intuition, her gut, knew that he was going to screw her over in a very messy and not too distant future. Maybe she had never really trusted him to begin with. His heart sank with the hurt that resonated across the African Sahara.

Gibbs had been silent throughout the ordeal. Tony hadn't expected anything more from the man but he felt as though his boss' trust was also wavering after the incident on that tarmac. Ziva was staying behind. She would not be across from him in the bullpen to throw spitballs at and correct her English, although, he admitted he hadn't had to do in quite a while. She had been adjusting with his help.

Tony sniggered as he realized the irony that statement held. He helped her amend her customs so she could fit in and he helped her to make the decision to stay in Tel Aviv – it had been clear she did not wish to see his face forever and a day. Why would she? He had taken away the thing that had meant the most to her – Michael Rivkin.

There was that growl again, an immediate reflex. He couldn't help it. The pain and the anger, maybe even a jolt of jealousy that accompanied that name brought out the worst in him. If their paths had never crossed, Anthony DiNozzo would be an extremely happy man. Alas, playing what if would not bring Ziva back, nor would it make her trust him again.

Tony's thoughts were interrupted by Gibbs. He had been shaking the young man's shoulder to grab his attention for a little while now. Tony was often lost in thought, the Lead Agent had noted. Gibbs, as well as the rest of the crew had caught him staring at Ziva's vacated desk on more than one occasion. It made him wonder about how deep Tony's feelings were for Ziva and whether rule number twelve had been broken or not.

This mission would blow it all out of the water.

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**_So??? Whadidya think? lol_**


	3. Hope Part 3

The plans had been laid in concrete and Tony was going for broke. He and Gibbs were to be the ones to grab her out of this mess while the rest of the small military deployment would act as a distraction. Obviously concrete took time to harden these days as it all went tits up the minute they neared the compound.

The first thing that they had heard was the explosion. An array of reds and oranges danced into the night sky, escaping with the short lived freedom they had found. Tony now understood how the rest of the team had felt the moment they thought he was dead in his car explosion. Lucky for him he hadn't been in it but they had only confirmed fifteen minutes prior that this was Ziva's location. There was no way she could have made it out alive. Screams could be heard from the flames that engulfed the old war bunker, the eeriness of the dead of night disguising the difference between the yells of man, woman or child. Tony swallowed hard at the thought that he may have lost Ziva and had never managed to explain to her how he truly felt. He always hoped that she knew. It was obvious she didn't know otherwise he and Gibbs wouldn't be here trying to locate her.

The two Special Agents got out of the military vehicle they had been driving in. Surrounded by Marines, they yelled instructions to each other amid the noise and chaos that surrounded them. Their mission: to acquire set target and get out of there before they lost their lives. Neither Tony nor Gibbs said a word, of neither protest nor encouragement, both hoping that they would find her alive only one believing that they mightn't.

Tony's world stopped when he noticed the petite form that lay on the ground, mud strewn across her face. Her eye was swollen and she was barely recognizable but Tony knew, he knew it was her. Drumming an involuntary mantra of "no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no" in his head, Tony got to her motionless body before anyone could stop him. He had broken the protective line to reach her. He didn't care anymore. He had to let her know.

He held her face gently in the palm of his hand, taking in the extent of her torture. He noticed the trails of dirt-free skin that fell across her cheeks. She had been crying.

"GIBBS!"

Tony's voice had only just carried to his Boss, who had been unable to break free of the protective circle of dedicated Marines unlike DiNozzo. Gibbs' heard the hope in his Senior Field Agent's voice and he knew that she had been located. Gibbs ordered the men to make their way across the short distance having succeeded in locating their target. Gibbs' hope began to linger but in a way that could allow for life to be stolen from beneath them. Gibbs squinted through the blackness and flickers of illumination to fall upon the sight of Tony with Ziva lying motionless on the ground. Gibbs let a tear escape. They were too late.


	4. Hope Part 4

"C'mon Zeev, ya just gotta wake up!"

Tony was pleading with his former partner to not be dead. He was practically shaking her apart to try and get a response out of her, any response what-so-ever. She seemed so fragile and delicate in that moment that he felt he would break apart if she didn't wake up. That was when he heard it.

It was almost inaudible but he had heard it.

She had whispered his name. He was sure of it.

"Ziva! Ziva, can you hear me? It's ok. We're here now." He hoped against all hope that she would respond to his plea, answer him, say anything. The words were strangled from his larynx, the emotion building inside. He whispered something into her ear, his face blank and his heart racing. He pulled back as he saw her chest rise and fall and then fail to rise again.

"I NEED A MEDIC!!!" The cry escaped his lips in panic as he realized she wasn't breathing so he started for her. The kiss of life was his first touch of her lips. They were dry and damaged probably due to the heat of Africa and her torturer probably making her go days without water.

He breathed air into her lungs but there was no response. Her heart beat was feint but it was still there much to Tony's relief. He breathed more air into her, just like he had with Gibbs and Maddie. They had lived. Ziva would too, a purpose Tony was determined to achieve.

After what seemed like hours were only minutes. He breathed more stale air into her lungs, trying with all his might to make her wake up. He checked her pulse again only to find it sporadic and abnormal. He started chest compressions, hoping against hope that he wasn't hurting her too much but knowing if he didn't use his entire strength, the motion might be pointless and he would fail her. He prayed, not for himself but for her to be ok. He prayed to Buddah, Allah, God, Yahweh and all the rest of them to make Ziva start breathing

The medic was nowhere to be found when another explosion could be heard overhead. Instinctively, Tony threw himself over the woman he had secretly fallen in love with over the course of a few short years. It was then that he felt it, the natural but hindered rise and fall of her chest. She was breathing. Not well but she was trying. Taking in his surroundings, Tony noticed that the medics and Gibbs had pulled out after the second explosion. They were a good fifty yards away. He had to get Ziva to them. Gently, he placed his arm around her neck, her head coming to rest in the hollow of his shoulder. With his other arm, he lifted her legs below the knees. She was light, too light. She had obviously lost weight, Tony only just realizing in the small cascades of light the gaunt look her face held. She was not well but she was a fighter. Disregarding his own safety, Tony gently lifted Ziva and held her against his chest, praying that she thought the drastic pace of his heartbeat was to do with the adrenaline fueled situation rather than the fact that she was caressed in his embrace, something he had long since dreamed about.

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**_A/N: may take longer to update now due to the fact that I haven't written it. I will hopefully get it done quickly :D_**

**_Sal out!  
_**


	5. Hope Part 5

Ziva woke in a bed. She had almost forgotten what one felt like. She tried opening her eyes but only one would co-operate. Her left eye was swollen, her hands discovering the damage and the pain that she could not see. She hesitated again as her hands continued to search whatever damage may have occurred to her that she would want to forget at a later time. What she hadn't counted on was the other arm that lay beside hers. They were out of her sight due to the damage surrounding her eye so it had surprised her to find that she wasn't alone. She could also hear muffled snoring suggesting that her guest was asleep. She winced as she smiled, more from the pain she felt rather than the fact she had recognized to whom the soft noise was coming form. She didn't want to see him. He definitely was not what she wanted to see on her first day of freedom. The vulnerability she felt being held in a hospital bed was not how she wanted him to remember her. She was a strong woman, a confident woman, a woman that would not break – did not break!

A memory flashed through her mind. That bald-headed, and garlic smelling weasel of a man hit her again and again and again. The pain was unbearable and she could feel the blood running down the side of her face. She knew he was now satisfied; he would now leave her alone for a while but for how long? She could not go much longer with days without food and water. Her lips were cracked and sore enough as it was. When he left her alone she was only left to her thoughts; thoughts of Michael, of leaving Gibbs on the tarmac, of her father, of Tony. Her hatred for Tony overwhelmed and surprised her. She had once considered the man as a possible suitor. She had laughed at the idea. Her laugh had reverberated of the hollow walls which made her laugh harder. She was losing the plot. She was finding it funny that Tony, the man that had destroyed her life was the only thing, the only person she could think of. Michael fell into her thoughts but Tony just wouldn't leave her alone. Damn him! She closed her eyes tight to try and stop the tears. She had realized that Tony did care, he had cared about her but how much was the question. Was it too much so that's why he killed Michael? Tony was definitely a jealous person; he didn't hide that fact well. He had, however, approached Michael knowing what she didn't, that Michael was using her, her feelings, her being, her soul and it hadn't worried the man whatsoever. It had bothered Tony though and for that she wasn't sure whether she should love him or hate him. She still didn't know which feeling was right.

Her mind wandered to her rescue. She remembered the fire, the fire she had started unintentionally. He – bald man – had tried to set her alight. That was the moment she fought back. She would not die like this, as a victim of someone else's psychosis. She was a survivor. She first kicked at the cigarette the man had pointed in her direction, inadvertently knocking it into the dry grass that had flown through the cell bars from the outside world. Then she forced all the remaining strength she held to take her attacker by surprise, forcing him into the wall and knocking him out in one fell swoop. That was when the chaos started. It hadn't taken long for the fire to take hold given that the man was still holding the gasoline he had doused her in. With her hands still tied she ran for her life through the door that had been left open, the flames licking at the fuel that covered her body. The droplets caught alight as she ran causing more sections of the building to become engulfed in flames. She had to be lucky. She needed an escape, a door away from the confusion. She ran past a door that had more of the cell members in, speaking in Arabic and being caught by surprise by the trail of fire that followed her. Their last thoughts were engulfed in flames and explosion as the gunpowder they were surrounded by blew up, throwing her outside the building, burns ravaging her skin. She remembered laughing and then crying and then she remembered, no that couldn't be it. That was obviously false hope. Tony would not be there, in Africa.

Another flash of memory coursed through her veins. She was looking at herself from outside of her body. She saw, she did see Tony, it was Tony. He was near her, he was breathing for her, willing her, pleading with her to survive. She remembered the explosion. She remembered her rescue but most of all she remembered who it was that fought for her. Tony was there by her side, above her protecting her from the explosion. He placed himself over her body. He had shielded her from harm.

The tears had started again and she tried to make them stop. They wouldn't stop and the next thing she knew was that a hand, a gentle hand, was rubbing them away. Her eyes opened to see pools of worry in an intense green. The bandage that was wrapped around his arm felt soft against her harsh, dry skin. She could hear his voice trying to calm her but he had only made her cry more. She couldn't for the life of her make them stop.

Before she had the chance to tell him to leave, she felt the balance of the bed she was laying on shift as he placed his weight parallel to hers and he hugged her. He held her in a comforting embrace, shushing her sobs and just being there for her. He didn't care that she was crying. He didn't care that she was now useless. He didn't care that she was no longer viable. He cared that she was alive and he was going to make sure that she knew that.

No matter what happened, Tony would help her through this. She now understood that he would always have her six, and that he always had.

_Finis

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**A/N Thankyou all for reading and for reviewing, big thanks to xxsamanthaxx for her support :) and also her kind words :D**

**Love to you all that read and alerted and stuck with my shortest chapter story yet lol!  
**


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